Improvement in knitting-machine



J. W. HIST KNITTING MACHINE.

No. 82,348. PatentedSepL-ZZ, 1868.

@RE 35w Wessex W m: NORRIS PETERS co. FHOTO-LITHQ. WASNINGTON, n. c

' gotten giants igetent @jffirr.

J. W. RIST, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND IRA A.

HEBBAR-D, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN KNITTING-MACHINE.

no stone teferrch n ii t e was not: to mai art no; time.

TO ALL WHOM 12} MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that 1, J. W. Ris'lgof Rochester, in the county of Monroe,and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin KnittingvMachines; and I do hereby declare that the following is afull, clear, and exact description thereof, reflex-once being had to theaccompanying drawings, making part ofthis specification, in which-Figure 1 is a top view oi one side of a very much shortened machine withmy improvements attached, but the needles being removed.

Figure 2 is a View of an inverted sectional portion of one side of thesliding frame F, showing the tensionregulating plates 1:. v

Figure 3 is a top view of a section of-each end of one side of theneedle-bed B, which also constitutes a portion of the fixed frame of themachine. Illho needles are not shown in this figure.

Figure 4 is a transverse vertical section of the front side of themachine, taken in the plane of the red line at in fig. 1.

Figure 5 is an inverted view of'the knitting-lock, which is attached tothe under side of the sliding frame.

Figure 6 is a top view ofthe lock shown in fig. 5.

Figure 7 is a view of the outer edge of the lock, showing the outer faceof the needle-adjuster T. Figure 8 is a detached view of one needle, 'n,a spacing-plate, t, of the needle-bed, and one division-plate, d, of thesame. I

Figure 9 is a longitudinal section of the friction-slide q, whichcontrols the action of the yarn-carrier 3 Figure 10 is a verticalsection of the devices for regulating the tension of the stitches, orlength of the loops, taken in the plane of the red line 1 in fig. 11.

Figure 11 is a top view of the tension-scale and index, the thumb orset-screw B being removed to show the axial point a of .the index 3 iFigure 12 is a reverse view'of the eyelet-end of the yarn-carrierwy.

Figure 13 is an obverse view of the same.

Figure 14 is a plan of a section of the needle-spring a. I

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the severalfigures.

The improvements set forth in this application relate more especially tothe Lamb knitting-machine; and their nature consists, essentially IFirst, in providing a detachable needle-bed, which may be very readilyremoved, and one with difi'erentsized needles substituted. 7

Also, in removing the top arch, which was seriously objectionable, fromthe machine, and substituting a much simpler and more eificieut plan foryarn-carrier.

' Also, in an improvement in the mechanism constituting the lock.

Also, in improvements in mechanism for regulating the length of loop' orstitch.

Also, in the employment and the arrangement of a needle-guide oradjuster on th liding frame.

Also, in an open eyelet, of peculiar construction, for the yarn-carrier.I

To enable others to make and use my invention, I will describe itsconstruction and operation. V

As this class of-machines have been constructed heretofore, it isnecessaryto make several difl'erent sizes r gauges, in order'to adaptthe machines to knit the difi'erent grades of yarn; that is, the machinemust be provided with finer or coarser needles, as the case may be, andat the same timcthe spaces between the needles must alsobc increased ordiminished. But the needle-grooves have heretofore been cut in the bedproper, cons'cquently the gauge of every machine was rigid, andpermanently fixed.

I make the bed-frame, A, of the machine with a recess in the upper faceon each side to receive aseparate needle-bed, B, figs. 1, 3, and 4. Thisbed iscomposed of a series of spacing-plates, t, and divisionplates d,which are securely attached together'by means of a dovo-tailed gib, b,and dowel-pin or bolt, a, figs. 1, 3, 4,

and 8, or two gibs may be used, or two bolts, as may he preferred. Thebolt-heads may be countersunk into one of the outside plates, d, andtapped into the other.

The plates t may be cut from sheet steel, or made of malleable iron, andcase-hardened. They should be made a little thicker than the needles, soas to permit them to work freely between the division-plates d.

These plates may be made of malleable iron, with a raised point, f,-figs. 1, 3, 4, and 8, which constitute an efiicient substitute for thejack-wires in the ordinary Lamb machine.

These points,f, may be finished or polished on an ordinary emery-wheel,and after the plates are propel-h finished up, they maybe case-hardened.

The end plates (1 may be made thicker than the others, as shown in figs.1 and 3, in order to permit the countersinking in one and the tapping inthe other, and to stiffen the form when set up and placed in position inthe bed-frame, where it is held by the heavy dove-tailed gib G and theclamping-screw 8, shown by dotted lines in fig. 3, which thoroughlyclamps the parts together.

In order to adapt the same machine for knitting the various grades ofyarn, from the finest to the coarsest, it is only necessary to providetwo or more of these detachable beds, with needles to correspond, of adifi'erent gauge, and that one inserted in the machine which is adaptedto the yarn that is tobe knit. This adds but little, comparatively, tothe expense of the machine, and exceedingly increases the value.

There is a spring-needle support, a, figs l, 3, 4, and a portion showndetached in fig. 14. This spring is made with projecting points on bothedges, as shown in the drawings, to press upon the needles, and keepthem steady while in action, and cause them to approach thelatch-openers properly; and by means of a slight indentation made in theupper face of the needle-stem, shown at s, fig. 4,'it may act as aneedle-guard stop :when the latter is thrown to its lower workingposition, at which time the point on the uppercdge'of the springplate isintended to act as alatch-closer, to prevent striking or being drawnunder the gib' G.

There is also 'a spring-needle stop, r, figs. 3, 4, and 8 attached tothe division-plates d, to retain or hold the needles in their workingposition, but so made and arranged as to permit them to be drawn downout of working position when desired;

The'knitting-lock, shown more clearly in figs. 5 and 6, is com-posedprincipally of the lock-plate P, V-s'haped cam G, wing-cams D, andcam-needle guards E, on the lower side of the lock-plate, next to theneedles, as it hangs on the sliding frame, and the reversing-slide H,which is connected to the upper side of the lock-plate. The needle-guardcams are fixed to the lock-plate by the same screws, at I, by which itis attached to the sliding frame F. The wing-cams D are attached looselyto the plateby the screw-bolts f study, which pass through the slots 7:,andj in the plate.

The slots converge toward the upper edgeof the lock-plate, as seen infig. 6. The V-cam C is also loosely attached to-the lockplate P, by-theclamping-screw J, through the vertical slot K and washer L, and itsparallelism is preserved by means of a steady-pin, k, fixed, near thepoint of the V, and working in the same slot with the screw. i

The construction and action of the V and the wing-cams G and D, are thesame in this as in the Lamb machine. The reversing or adjusting-slide His connected to the lock-plate P and to the V-cam, as heretoforepractised in this class of knitting-machines, but it is provided with aV-cam, M, fig. 6, upon which the spring N operates, by means of whichthe slide is securely locked in either adjustment, whereby any desiredspeed may be given to the machine, with no po'ssihility of confusion inthe action of these parts of it, which is of the utmost imprrtauce.

One of the wing-cams is thrown up by the inclined plane or cam O,sliding under thestud g of the wing,- and the other isJrais'ed at thesame stroke of the slide by the cam Q raising the latch or pivoted leverR, as shown in fig. 6. The return of the wings D is assisted by thesprings Z. The studs 9 extend above the face of the slide g, as seen infig. 7. and the upper end of the tensibn-regulating plates or wedges n,at g,'fig. 2, governs their throw 0: str.o ke.. v

In the original machine, the reversing-slide has no connection with thewing-cams. The advantage of aisins them with the V-cam is, that theneedles cannot be drawn down so as to strain the stitches.

. idle bolt 11', I provide withva fiat-sided head, It, to fit nicely inthe slot .9". This head is rigidly fixed to the wings or plates 12;therefore when the screws B are moved one way or the other, the obliqueand at g will carry the stud g of the wing up, or allow it to recede, asthe case may be, and thereby lengthen or shorten the stitch-loops. Thesewedge-plates p only limit the downward throw of the wing-cams, theybeing carried up by .the adjusting-plate H at every round of the slidingframe. l

I apply a needle-guard or automatic adjuster, T, rigidly to the loweredge of the look, as shown in figs. 5, 6, and 7. The ends are so shapedand arranged, that if the spur or shank, z, of the needle happen to beexactlyin the track of the adjuster T, the point mmountsthe spur andrides over it, when it lmmediately falls into iihe recess n, fig/5, andis carried up by the v-cam; but if the position of the needle is too lowto strike the 'point of the adjuster, it is carried down by the cam-faceo, and clears the lock below The rigid V-cams E catch and adjust theneedles when they happen to get thrown, or set too high to be caught andoperated upon by thawing-cams D. By the employment of these necdle-adusters E and T, one of the most serious class of obstacles and accidentsheretofore experienced in the working of the mach nes has beensuccessfully and entirely removed. I I

The top arch and its appendages, used in many machines, 'are veryimperfect in their action, and a source of great inconvenience to theoperator in certain manipulations of the work, such as changing thestitches when widening, and when threading the yarn to the carrier. I U

-This top arch I dispense with, and with-it all its serious ob ec tions;I substitute iultsstead the yarncarrier Y, which is pivoted to thesliding frame at u, figs. 1 and 4, directly over the latch-opener V,which re constructed as heretofore.

The yarn-carrier Y is connected with a friction-traveller, q, figs. 4and 9, by a pivot, r, operating through a slot, t, in the latch-openerV. This slot limits the throw either way of the carrier Y.

Theffriction-traveller q slides upon the rod W, the epds of which aresupported in suitable standards, X, bolted to the ends of the bed-frameof the machine. The rodW is made of round steel, flattened on one side,as seen in figs. 1 and 4.

The traveller is made by drilling a hole through a piece of steel, andfiling a square offset at one side to receive the steel gib e and spring1;, figs. 4 and 9. The rod, slide, and the gib are all thoroughlyhardened.

The strap-spring is placed between the gib and the slide or traveller,and, .if necessary, there might be a screw tapped through the travellerto set against the spring.

The pivot 'r is rigidly attached to the yarn-carrier, and fits looselyin a slot running transversely across the traveller.

Another source of very great annoyanceand inconvenience heretoforeexperienced was, the imperfect means provided for determining the degreeof tension given to the knitting or the length of loop. I obviate thosediflicnlties entirely by providing a tension-scale, S, and index y,figs. 1, 10, and 11, connected with the set-screw B of the plates p,that are made to govern the downward stroke or throw of the needles. Thedegree 'of tension or length of loop is here measured to less than thehundredth part of an inch, and the locks on both sides of the machinemay be set with equal precision, because it is measured by the scale,whereas formerly it could only be done by guess, and the slightestdifi'erence in the position of the set-screws and plates makes so greata difi'erence in the degree of the tension or length of the loops, thatit was almost utterly impossible to get both locks set exactly alike.

The difiiculties attending the operation of threading the yarn into thecarrier Y, as it was made heretofore, with a close eye, I haveeffectually obviated by slotting the yarn-carrier, as shown in figs. 4,12, and 13, leaving a projecting overlapping lip, 7', over which theyarn is passed to thread the carrier, and which cannot possibly slip outin the ordinary operations of the carrier. It is threaded almostinstantly by holding the yarn in the thumb and finger of each hand, onehand above and the other below, when the yarn is readily slipped throughthe sinuous slot or opening, and into the open eyelet. i

The yarn passes upward from the yarn-carrier to any suitablespool-stand. After the yarn is inserted in the carrier Y, the work isset up, and the general operation of the machine, and the manipulationof the work, as in widening, &c., are the same as in the ordinarymachine.

When the index is turned toward the yarn-carrier, the tension is madeless, or the loop longer, and vice verse. I

I The opposite side of the machine is only a duplicate of that shown anddescribed, except the yarn-carrier Y; and the friction-rod W, and thetraveller q. By placing the rod W in the position shown, it is entirelyout of. the way of the operator .when changing stitches for widening,Etc.

I am aware that thread-carriers for knitting-machines have been beforeslotted, but not as shown by me.

What I claim'ns my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-- 1. The needle-bed, composed of the division plates d and spacingplates t, when connected together, substantially in the manner and forthe purposes herein shown and described.

.2. The gib G, in combination with the bed A and removable needle-bed,as and for the-purposes set forth.

3. The'arrangement of the locking-spring N, constructed as described,attached rigidly to the lock-plate P, and operating upon the V-shapedcam M, on the reversing-plate H, substantially as and for the purposesset forth.

4. The arrangement of the cam Q with the pivoted lever B. and stud g ofthe wingcam D, on that end of the Lock, substantially in the manner andfor the purposes herein shown and described.

5. The arrangement of the cam 0 upon the reversing-slide, in connectionwith the stud g of the wing-cam, the parts all operating substantiallyin the manner and for the purposes shown and described.

6. The reactionary spring Z, in combination. with the stud g andwing-cam D, substantially as shown and described, and for the purposesset forth.

7. The combination, with the lock-plate P, of the needle-adjuster T,constructed, arranged, and operating substantially in the manner and forthe purposes set forth.

8. The combination, with the lock-plate P, of the cam and needle-guidesor adjusters E, substantially. in

ithe manner and for the purposes set forth";

9. In combination with the wing-cams D and their studs 9, the cams O andQ and latch R, or their equivallents, whereby said cams D are movedupward simultaneously with the closing of the V-cam G, for the purposesdescribed.

10. The combination of the plates p and studs g with the set-nut IB,index-hand y, and scale S, for the purposes set forth. i I n i 11. Incombination with the'scale- S, for gauging the tension or length of theloop, the pivoted lever-index arranged and operating substantially asand for the purposes shown and described.

12. The pivoted yarn-carrier Y, in combination with thefriction-traveller q and the rod W, all constructed,

arpanged, and operating as shown and described.

13; The yarn-carrier or guide Y, slotted as shown and described, and forthe purposes set forth.

W. BIST.

Witnesses:

WM. 8. Lononsonoueu, Fara. ALHArcn.

